Xenia medical pot ban won’t block Central State lab, city says

Xenia officials say they don’t believe that city’s ban on medical marijuana businesses conflicts with Central State University’s hopes to both annex into the city and become a state-licensed cannabis testing lab.

“While the current city of Xenia code cites a prohibition of cultivating, processing and dispensing of marijuana, it appears to be silent and not specific on the testing of medical marijuana,” said city spokesman Lee Ward Thursday.

“We see no conflict at this time,” he said, though they will review the laws and make sure there are no problems in the event Central State is actually awarded a license to host the state’s first test facility for medical marijuana.

Central State and Hocking College, in Athens County, both applied to get the first license to test medical marijuana for quality. State law says the first license must go to a public institution. After a year, private labs can be licensed.

Central State officials have not responded to emailed questions about how much a cannabis testing lab would cost or how it would be paid for. This story will be updated once that information is provided.

Hocking College officials have estimated their lab could cost $5 million. They are setting up an endowment for private investors to pay for it.

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